The Next Best Thing
by netgirly2k
Summary: When Remus looks at Regulus he sees a shadow of sirius slash


The Next Best Thing.  
  
"When do the OWL results arrive?"  
  
"You look thin, are they feeding you alright at that school?"  
  
"Did you study hard enough?"  
  
"Is the shack still secure?"  
  
Three weeks of his mothers coddling and Remus was almost pulling out his own hair in his desire to get back to Hogwarts, or anywhere else that his mum wouldn't be able to pass comment on his weight, his hair, his marks or his robes every time he sat down at the dinner table. As a result he almost did a jig around his room when an owl arrived from Sirius.  
  
Remus,  
Parents buggered off for a week, mum would love it if my 'toerag friends' came to stay. See you Monday. Sirius.  
  
Remus noted that Sirius hadn't even asked if he wanted to come, just told him when to arrive. Not that Remus minded; Sirius' presumption was part of what made him charming.  
  
In Remus' experience important realisations about life usually happened when you were supposed to be thinking about something else. This was possibly why Remus had made three very important discoveries about himself while he was supposed to be revising potions. First of all he was gay, which wasn't that important in the grand scheme of things, especially when the scheme of things included being a werewolf. Second of all he fancied the arse off Sirius Black, which was hardly surprising, almost everyone at Hogwarts who was interested in men fancied Sirius. And finally, Sirius was probably straight, and even if he wasn't he'd probably fancy James more than Remus. He'd come to the conclusion that it was better to just carry on as usual and stay mates with Sirius, the only change being that he now surreptitiously sneaked looks at Sirius' arse, which there would be many chances to do at the black house.  
  
"Mum! Can I go and stay with Sirius for a week?"  
  
***  
  
Much wheedling, begging and pleading later Remus was standing at the Black's front door, dressed in muggle clothes, with strict instructions from his mum to be back before the full moon on Thursday.  
  
"I didn't think you were coming, I thought it was just the two idiots." The boy who answered the door was taller than Remus by a few inches, and even thinner than the werewolf; he had sunken blue eyes and cropped black hair. It was Sirius' brother, Regulus. Regulus Black would have been handsome were it not for the fact that he was Sirius Blacks brother, it seemed that whenever anyone looked at Regulus they saw a skinnier, paler version of his brother.  
  
"Reggie, is that Remus?" Sirius came bounding past his brother to grab Remus into a brotherly hug,  
  
"Good holiday mate?"  
  
"Was your mother being awful? I know mine was."  
  
Remus looked past the two brothers to where James and Peter had come clattering down the stairs, "Alright?" he called out to them allowing Sirius to pull him into the hallway slamming the door shut.  
  
Out of the five boys Regulus was the only one wearing robes, he was wearing loose black ones, with the Black family crest embroidered on the chest. James and Peter both wore muggle clothes during the holidays because they lived near muggles, Sirius wore his jeans and t-shirt in order to annoy his mother, and Remus wore jeans because everyone else (Sirius) did.  
  
"You can go now Reggie," Sirius said.  
  
"Yeah Reggie, sod off," added James.  
  
Regulus pushed past Peter up the stairs, "Don't call me that, my name is Regulus," the irritated boy called out on his way up the stairs.  
  
"Why are we calling him Reggie?" asked Peter, bouncing back to his feet.  
  
"James started it," Sirius said, grinning, " it's bloody brilliant, he hates it."  
  
"Won't Regulus tell your mum and dad that we were here?" Remus refused to use the nickname, he still remembered those three months in second year when Sirius had decided it would be funny to call him Remy.  
  
"That's the plan."  
  
The four boys meandered through to the living room under the disapproving glares of Sirius' ancestors, James updating them on his continued lack of progress with Lily Evans.  
  
"I wasn't actually planning on trapping you lot in this dank hole with me all week, Quidditch season starts this week-"  
  
"Sirius got tickets for the Wasps Vs Cannon opener on Thursday!" Interrupted Peter hopping hyperactively from one foot to the other, Remus idly wondered who'd let him at the Fizzing Whizbees.  
  
James was amusing himself by poking his finger into a snapping snuffbox and yanking his finger out before it snapped shut.  
  
"I can't go," Remus sighed, disappointed, he loved Quidditch as much as the next sixteen year-old, "Full moon's Thursday, mum wants me back Wednesday night."  
  
"What? You have to stay! It won't be the same without you, Let me th.I know, how do you feel about being chained up in a attic?"  
  
Remus shrugged, bemused, "You'd never talk my mum into it."  
  
Sirius' eye's gleamed, " Bet you five galleons I can." He strode over to the greenish, dying fire, threw in some floo powder, "The Lupins," he roared sticking his head into the fire. Remus enjoyed the view, while Peter yelped encouragingly at James' game.  
  
"Told you I could talk her into it," Sirius rocked backwards on his heels, long hair falling rakishly over his eyes. Remus found it slightly disconcerting that his mother found Sirius as charming as he did.  
  
"I don't have five galleons," Remus smiled.  
  
"You can owe me, you'll still miss the game on Thursday, but we could always go to the amuter league on Friday, maybe blag a game on their pitch. Eh James?" James didn't answer, he was to busy trying to remove his finger from the snuffbox, which had snapped shut and didn't want to open again. "I'll go and check the chains in the attic."  
  
"You really have chains in your attic?" Asked the nervous Peter.  
  
"Yeah, probably used to chain up non-purebloods back in the old days." Sirius bounded out of the room, leaving both James and Peter, who were half bloods, looking a little worried.  
  
***  
  
"You sure you don't mind mate?" Sirius asked his voice muffled as he pulled his Wasps robes over his head.  
  
"Nah, course not. I want a blow by blow of the game when you get back."  
  
"Cause one of us could stay." Sirius let the question hang.  
  
"Yeah, someone could," said James, making it clear that 'someone' wouldn't be him. He wasn't about to start missing season openers.  
  
"It's fine," Remus reiterated, "I'll see you all in the morning."  
  
"See you in the morning," Said Peter, almost drowning in his oversized, vivid Cannons robes. Remus watched his three friends and their clashing robes disappear into the floo, before turning round and heading up to the attic.  
  
***  
  
Remus groaned as he woke up, his head pounded and his entire body ached, the usual post full moon feelings. He shifted slightly pulling his thin wrists and ankles through the shackles that had bound the werewolf to the wall, the hard, dirty floor scratching at his legs and backside.  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
Remus squinted at the dark haired figure, "Sirius?" The figure moved into the light cast through the open entrance to the attic, "Regulus. Do you mind, I'm naked." He reached to pull on his jeans, wishing he hadn't bought into the fashion for shrunken jeans as it took a few moments to fasten them. He paused on the reach for his t-shirt. "How long until everyone at school knows what I am?"  
  
"You really believe everything my brother says about me, don't you?"  
  
"You're not going to say anything?"  
  
"No, none of my business really." Remus was struck for a moment by how much like his brother Regulus was. The younger Black watched as the werewolf pulled on a yellow t-shirt and set about searching for his belt and shoes.  
  
"Sirius isn't a poof you know."  
  
Remus froze, "You can't tell him." That would almost be worse than everyone at school finding out he was a werewolf.  
  
Regulus carried on as if Remus hadn't spoken, "Wouldn't get two in one family." Remus' pale eyes snapped up to meet Regulus darker ones, so much like his brothers. Regulus was standing so close to Remus that he couldn't focus on the other boys face, only individual features. Same colour eyes as Sirius, same raised eyebrow, same quirked lips, and when Regulus leaned into kiss him Remus let him.  
  
Remus closed his eyes and tried to forget that he'd just spent the night chained up in his best friends attic, and was now having his bottom lip nibbled by said best friends brother. Remus sucked on the other boys tongue, running his hands up his back. Jerking them sharply away when his fingers met close-cropped black hair that was several inches shorter than it was supposed to be. The black haired boy, slipped his hands under Remus' t-shirt, dragging his short nails across the other boys nipples, causing Remus to buck forward. Regulus unfastened the buttons of Remus' jeans, gently taking hold of the other boys cock. Remus stiffened into the warm hand and groaned as he began to stroke. "Ssssssssiiii," Remus hissed, clenching his teeth in an effort not to say Sirius. Regulus trailed his tongue along Remus' jawline, teasing the sensitive flesh under his left ear. "Remus," the brunette groaned in a voice that sounded so much like his brothers that Remus couldn't help but jerk forward with a sharply bitten off cry.  
  
Remus looked apologetically at the mess he'd made on Regulus' robes as the other boy stepped back, "I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't apologise, I'm used to getting Sirius' cast offs," He produced a wand from somewhere, "Scourgify," Regulus was no more seventeen than Remus was, but the ministry of magic wasn't about to send a warning to The Blacks favourite son.  
  
"Regulus, I-"  
  
"Reggie! Have you let Remus out yet?" Sirius bellowed from downstairs.  
  
"Better go, the boy wonder's after you."  
  
Remus left Regulus standing in the shadows of the attic, heading downstairs to Sirius' bright familiarity. 


End file.
